January - A Crafty Month in Review!

As you may remember, I decided at the beginning of the year to formalize some of the goals that I had rattling around in my head. I didn't want to make some New Years Resolutions that I'd break right away. No, I wanted to start systematically working towards certain goals. I've been using To Do Lists and the web-site Goal For It to help me keep track of my progress and stay motivated.

As I've gone along this last month there have been times I've gotten discouraged, but having the Goal For It site has actually really helped me stay positive! I can look at it and see that I've made progress in some areas, and it's very rewarding to be able to remind myself that some goals are met even if I haven't quite made time to work on every goal every day! That helps a lot as I battle my health problems and the depression that tends to go along with them. So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you a little of what I've accomplished this month in Rose Works Jewelry, Kindred Spirit Treasures, and Block Head Radio.

Kindred Spirit Treasures

Lovely White Butterfly Hair Bow

This month marks the beginning of my Mom and I's shop - Kindred Spirit Treasures. We've been talking about it for a few months now, but between one thing and another, it just never got off the ground! It's up and running now with 13 items in the shop, and a bunch more to list this week! We've even had our first sale :) I hope we have more this next month! I know it's hard sometimes to get sales started in a new store on etsy, but I think we have some great stuff.

My only disappointment with Kindred Spirit Treasures this month has been that I was hoping to get some items up in the shop that weren't my simple cell phone charms but that were still my own creations. One of the reasons Mom and I are sharing the shop is so that I have chance to flex my creative muscles in non-jewelry after all! That never happened, but I do have a bookmark in the works that I'm really happy about. :)

Rose Works Jewelry

Wind Dancer - Elements Series

There's so much to report in this area! I'm going to try and keep from going TOO long - and I'm gong to break it up into different categories :)

Sales

First of all, even though this is REALLY late, I'm happy to report that I made $250 in sales during the months of Nov/Dec, so I raised $25 for my local homeless shelter! I was hoping to raise at least $20, so this makes me really happy. :) Now I just need to write the check and send it in :P

Last year: I finally finished my state taxes today (yes I'm a procrastinator) and discovered that I made $800 in sales last year! Considering I just opened shop last May, I've been really sick this whole time, and I've moved a couple of times, that's SUPER EXCITING! Here's to a successful (and more profitable) second year of business eh?

This Month - When I set out my three month goals I decided that I wanted to try and reach $100 in sales each month. Well, I didn't quite reach my goal this month, but I did make $70! And you know what? I'm happy about that :) Considering today's economy it could have been much, much worse. And I at least made it 70% of the way to my goal the first month I set myself one!

Creativity

Towards the end of last year I challenged myself to start making one woven item a week. I did that because I love my woven pieces, but they were taking me forever to complete! I was averaging 2-3 items a month, max. By December I was getting pretty settled into weaving (and faster), and then this month I took off like a crazy woman! If I counted right - I made 10 different woven pieces this month! One custom order, one in the elements series, one for myself (mostly completed, I need more beads), 3 for sale on consignment, and 4 pairs of woven earrings (also for consignment)! No, you haven't seen all of them yet, but you will soon :) I've also learned a new weaving pattern and started a bracelet (hope to finish tonight) that I'm REALLY excited to unveil :)

Blogging

I haven't done as well in blogging as I'd like. This makes only 21 posts this month! *sigh* But most of the days I didn't blog it was for pretty valid reasons - like being all melty-brained from migraines. I also haven't been as consistent with my Entrecard drops as I'd like to be, but that's for the same reasons.

The good news is that Theresa and I have continued our Selling Venue Series - and that's been a lot of fun!

My favorite piece of news from this month, blogging-wise, is that I've finally set up a sales widget on the right hand side of my blog! Each week (approximately) I'll be featuring a different item on sale, through the blog only, for 20% off! I'll alternate between the different categories in my shop, so you'll get a chance for all sorts of different items :)

Oh yes - and have you entered my contest yet? It's open until the 11th! Click here :)

Alternate Venues

I'm working on opening up my first consignment deal - but first I got sick and then she got sick! I'll be calling again on Monday to see if we can set an appointment. And then I'll take a week or two off before I worry about looking for my second consignment opportunity. This was a lot of work! I don't think that the next one will be as much work because I've learned a lot, but I still want to give myself time to focus on other things.

I'm still planning on opening up at least one shop in another on-line venue, but I haven't really started on that yet. The research Theresa and I have been doing has given me some great ideas though :) So maybe this month?

My show, Thursday Spotlight on Artisan, continues! LOL - not a lot to report personally there - but there have been big changes in the radio station as a whole! We've moved from Blog Talk Radio to our very own platform at www.blockheadradiolive.com! This is has been a big change for us, and a lot of fun. Well, at least for us hosts, poor Rod is working his fingers to the bone trying to get all the kinks worked out.

Join me this week at 9pm EST, www.blockheadradiolive.com, for my interview with Kamila of The Wooded Woods!

If you're in snow...sorry

The apology is just in case my husband checks the blog- poor guy is back in the frosty north and trying to single-handedly empty out the home his parents have lived in for 40 years. The weather there is just to add insult to injury! Meanwhile, I am enjoying Santa Ana weather which means unseasonably warm breezes and lovely dog walking evenings.

The beady stuff... I'm frantically trying to get a bunch of items ready to put in the kiln tomorrow so this will be pathetically short. Check back by the end of the weekend- I will have an opportunity for a fun contest!

Meet Sew Happy Designs Live on the Air!!!

I'm very excited about tonight's Thursday Spotlight on Sew Happy Designs! Ok, ok, ok, so I'm USUALLY pretty excited about my show - but this week is extra special! Cindy, of Sew Happy Designs, is the number one fan of Block Head Radio and has been working behind the scenes since the very beginning.

Kites and Brights Quilt with Matching Tote Bag

Cindy has a fantastic personality, she's always cheering me up, and she's a very busy woman too! You can find her all over the web - check it out!

Cindy on Etsy

Cindy's Blog

Cindy's Teaching Web-site

Cindy's Quilt Photos

Shop where Cindy has items on Consignment

Follow Cindy on Twitter!

Want to get to know Cindy better? So do I! I have about a million questions to ask her tonight, and if you join us in chat (or call in) you can ask her YOUR questions too! Just join us at www.blockheadradiolive.com at 9pm EST :) I look forward to seeing you there!

Zebra African Potholder

*IMPORTANT*

THIS ITEM IS ENDANGERED!!!

The Gnome Hat by pumpkinhaus

This post written by Winklepots and chichiboulie.

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

I'm Retail Minded! Are you?

I recently stumbled across this blog via Twitter - have I mentioned recently mentioned how much I love Twitter? Anyway Nicole, the dynamo behind this awesome blog, sent me a Twitter invite, we started talking, and next thing you know I was subscribing to the blog! I've only been following along for a little while, but many of the articles I've already read have been very informative and encouraging.

Here's the description of the blog from it's front page:

The Blog by Retail Minded was inspired to support small retail business owners and the wholesalers that sell to them. By offering valuable and educational blogs, The Blog by Retail Minded can help increase business productivity within many sectors of retail, including marketing, publicity, merchandising, packaging, and more.

Whether you are looking to start a new retail or wholesale business, want to increase your current retail business portfolio, or are struggling to maintain survival in the harsh reality of retail, The Blog by Retail Minded can support you in every step of the way.

Nicole has a degree in business - and she really knows what she's talking about! Just from getting to know her a little bit I've seen that she has a passion for building small business. Get to know her and her blog, even if not every article applies to you, you'll find a lot worth learning :)

I was thinking about featuring her site/blog anyway, and then I got a treat! Nicole offered to interview me for her new "Featured Designer" spot on her blog. I'm so excited and honored! Go check it out to learn a little bit more about me ;)

A Sunday's Update :)

You know, sometimes I get so caught up in new projects, that old one's get forgotten! That's what happened with this necklace. I made it over a month ago, but first I forgot to photograph it, and then once I did, I kept forgetting to edit the photos and post it! Quite sad because this is one of my favorite necklace designs :)

Elegantly Jumbled Lace

I also wanted to give you a quick update on the Artisan Shoppe. I checked in with admin yesterday and they said their still working on it. Trying to make things as secure as possible! Which is good for us in the long run :) So it'll be a few weeks still. I'll let you know as soon as it's up!

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Two fabulous prizes are up for grabs! Go here to find out all about it :)

Posies for your ears

For the longest time I've been conflicted about offering finished jewelry with my ceramic beads and pendants. First, I seem to get a serious creative block with my own components, I always like what other people do with them better than what I would have come up with. Second, I felt like making jewelry with those pieces might give jewelry designers a bit of a bad vibe as they might not want to have "competition" (although again, I have that issue with thinking other people's creations with them are better!). Also, having the finished jewelry items on the same site as my pendants creates a bit of a pricing conundrum- I value the time I put into making jewelry pieces and also value the level of skill I've developed as far as wire work, etc so it's tough when someone can then go to the pendants section and see what I have an individual pendant priced at.

I decided the only way to do it is to put my finished ceramic jewelry on a separate sales venue but Etsy is so jewelry saturated and there are so many sellers who devalue their labor and sell at fire sale prices! Soooo I think I've finally figured out the solution(s)... I'm just waiting on approval for my 1000 Markets shop, it's visually so pretty and the site is user friendly. The other solution is that I am going to make some charms/pendants that are just for my finished jewelry. Then I don't have to feel like I'm undermining my jewelry designer customers. I"ll still probably have a few jewelry items that I've made with pendants or charms that are for sale individually but I plan to keep them few and far between and they'll primarily be jewelry pieces that I've submitted to beading magazines for publication.
Here's a peek at the first items- feedback definitely welcome!!

Selling Venues - Shop Handmade

My first impression of Shop Handmade is that it could use some improvement on it's layout. Of course, that might just be the geek/designer in my talking, but the site is orientated to the left of the screen and doesn't maximize it's space well. Since I've started this series I've begun signing up for all the sites as I research them, you can find out more that way! This one was extremely easy to sign up for, you just had to input a nickname or e-mail address, and that was it! The one thing that got me a little curious was that it didn't seem ask for a password. So first thing I did was go looking for the account information. Sure enough, they did want a password, they just don't ask for it up front! Strange. Plus, at the bottom of the account page, they have a long list of e-mail offers. Make sure to go visit that if you don't want them sending you a lot of e-mails! Of course if you want them, by all means keep them checked :) Personally I don't want any right now, but I'm also not opening up a shop at the moment, if I did I might change my mind.

Once you've signed up for an account clicking on "my account" at the top of every screen takes you to an easy navigation page. If you have not opened a shop it lists "Open a Store" and "Sell an Item" front and center. Then you'll find a navigation bar on the left with a "My Account" secition that includes; Profile and Preferences, Wishlist, and Purchase. Below that is a Store section including; Profile and Logo, List an Item, Inventory, Orders, Ledge, and Store FAQ.

I didn't get to experiment at all with the listing process, because I didn't want to fill out a shop profile and then not actually open up shop. So instead my next step was to check out the Store FAQ!It wasn't very long, and actually left me with more questions, but I think that's because I'm doing things out of order. So on to the About section!

After reading the About section the most confusing thing, to me, about Shop Handmade is it's fees system. From what I understand it's possible to list for free, if you sign up for a sponsor. They also let you chose if and how much you pay of the final selling value. It seems a little strange to me, but I'm not going to knock the option of free!

They are very "green-minded" at Shop Handmade. It's a large part of why they started their venue! They attempt to off-set the carbon footprint, and support the rain forests, so if that's a passion of yours this could be the site for you!

There a variety of search functions, but it worked a little slow for me. I also didn't like that I couldn't find a way to contact the seller if you had a question or wanted to chat. The pictures are also blocked from being shown - so I couldn't feature any items for you - even though I found some cute ones! So instead you'll have to be satisfied with a picture of the featured shops on the front page.
The biggest drawback I saw to Shop Handmade is that there really doesn't seem to be any community. As I said, I couldn't find a way to contact sellers, and there are chat or forum features. That's a major drawback as far as I'm concerned because a major part of selling your work on-line is to form relationships!

Would I sell here? Maybe, but it's not on the top of my list. I don't like the lack of community, and I'd rather go someplace with interaction possibilities. However, the fees system does make it tempting! So it's on the list of possibilities :)

Have you entered my One World One Heart Giveaway yet? Click here to enter and hopefully win!!!

Charming charms

New charm shapes and new glazes to show off! This isn't all of them but here's a little taste...
The finish on these charms is an unusual finish, not like my other glazes- they have kind of a suede finish. The periwinkle flowers above are almost an eggshell finish. I have some more experimenting to do with them, especially to find out how they perform on textured surfaces but even if I only stick with smooth surfaces, I like how different they are.
I have the swoopy side square (which can be a cute swoopy sided diamond too of course!), the retro flower, and a sweet little star. Since my glazes are usually on the more muted side I think this is a good step outside my color comfort zone! Even though I don't sell as many charms as pendants I just love having a handful of them fresh out of the kiln so I keep on making tons of them!

Come Meet XenaraesRoom.etsy.com - TONIGHT!!!!

Tonight's interview is with none other than the lovely Twyla of xenaraesroom.etsy.com! Come join us tonight at 9pm EST on www.blockheadradiolive.com! It's always a bunch of fun, and I'd love to see you there! In the mean time - check out a couple of these lovely items she has in her shop :)

Ribbon Flower Hair Clips

Red Bandanna Hair Bow

Wavy Hoop Silver Skull Earrings

Short and Sweet!

Mint Green Book Mark

Feels like I've been going a million miles a minute the last week or so! It's been interesting trying to keep up with it all... Which means I'm so tired that getting good posts written is hard! But I want to write you, so here I am :)

Why am I so tired and busy? Well, the new reason I'm tired is that I just started using a CPAP machine to deal with my Sleep Apnea. I blogged about that on my other blog.

I'm also getting ready to put my stuff out in a consignment store! So I've been weaving and creating like MAD for the last two weeks! I'll try to take a bunch of pictures Friday morning before it all goes into the shop. :) AFTER that I should have a wee bit more time to focus on this blog again :) I'll return to my selling venue series at that point!

What else is keeping me busy? Well, I'm trying to be a good girl and get things up in the shop I share with my Mom - like that beautiful book mark up at the top! I got some more photos today so I should be listing more things in the next few days. :)

I have new things to list in my own etsy shop, but lately I've just been renewing items, because a lot of them are about to expire! It's fun to revisit some of the items I created awhile ago - and still love! Like these earrings :)


Don't forget to enter my first ever blog giveaway with One World One Heart!

One World - One Heart

Exciting news folks - I'm doing my first ever blog giveaway! I've participated in giveaways on other people's blogs, but never on my own blog! I'm super excited! AND, I'm part of this awesome group of bloggers who are ALL doing giveaways! How cool is that? But don't take my word for it, here's what Lisa, the blogger behind all this, and her own words :)

"The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way...This is more than wanting to win something.......that is only the means.......in the end it's about finding kindred spirits. Someone who may be fairly new to blogging, not sure how to navigate, find others and have others find them....Some are long time bloggers and in some cases well known in the art community. Whatever the case it brings all of them together...We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging."


Now the part you've all been waiting for - the prizes! There will be TWO prizes given away on this blog, yes two! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog post before midnight on February 11th, and the winners will be announced on February 12th! Sound easy? I thought so!

1st PRIZE!!!
Pick one item, any item, in my shop and have it shipped to you for free!
That includes my woven items, like the bracelet below! (Click the picture to see the listing)

2nd PRIZE!!!
Pick any pair of earrings in my store and have it shipped to you for free!
Including the woven and dangles :) (Click on the picture below to see it's listing)

And yes - I will ship anywhere in the world for free :D So what are you waiting for? Leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from you :) Just don't forget to leave me a way to contact you! And don't forget to check out all the other great blogs that are participating in this event!

*Comments have been closed and the winner will be announced shortly*

Sorry!

I know I've been really irregular in my posting over the last week or so - I've just been tired, sick, and out of it! I do plan on getting back to my normal routine starting tomorrow :P

For now - just let me tell you that the new www.blockheadradiolive.com is up and going! Come listen to the music, listen to the shows, and have a lot of fun!

I'm going to go read a book :P

Love is in the air!

Although I've offered heart shaped pendants for a while now, I figured I better get a move on and list some on Etsy in time for Valentines Day! The pendant above is in my new pinkish glaze- I'm really tempted to name it "piglet" but not sure if that color label would turn anyone off?! Any opinions?
Then I worked on some cute little heart shaped beads. These have the hole running diagonally across the heart. I think these would be super cute in a bracelet!

The swirly ones below are my "duds". I don't usually have so many failures in a batch but I made those with fairly small holes and the combination of a runny glaze and the hole shrinking during firing meant that I had 9 beads where the wire they were suspended on during firing couldn't slide out. Any one want them for scrapbooking, to put in a little bowl, to carry in your pocket, to put in a fishbowl...? First person who leaves a comment asking for them and telling me what plans you have for them gets them!

Last but not least I finished up some more of my floral link beads- I REALLY love these, especially as a big chunky focal in a bracelet. They're kind of vintagey feeling to me, definitely very feminine but since they're a good chunky size and weight they don't seem frou frou.

I have lots of things planned for today, first I need to get some beads listed on Etsy then I have some new bead ideas to work on. I wish I didn't have to do the listing part today, I'd much rather go play in the clay and make some jewelry!

Artfire - An Interview with John Jacobs

I recently had John Jacobs, founder and President of ArtFire, add me as a friend on Twitter. Well my first thought was "selling venue series!" So I shot him off a quick message and he agreed to be interviewed! Here it is :)

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the motivation behind starting Artfire? I've heard stories, but I'd love to hear it straight from you.

There are several strong factors that contributed to the creation of ArtFire.com. I grew up in an entrepreneurial and crafty family and watched my mother struggle for many years at craft shows and with selling her handmade wares to support our family of six. Starving artist was a very real term in our lives as the best case scenario most weeks while traveling around the country, was to break even at the craft shows. My parents never really ever got ahead, but the show promoters always got paid.

When eBay came on the scene, my parents, like many artists, thought that they may have found a new venue to sell on. A venue that might get them off the road! For several years, back when EBay was still human, this was the case. Sadly most artists have left EBay due to abuse, poor treatment, and unbearably low bids for their unique works. ETSY, a better option for artists emerged, which we admire for pioneering a site that celebrates the culture of handmade. There are also many things that we don’t admire about ETSY, but it is certainly a better option for artists than any other available venue, and we hope that our presence helps challenge them to better serve artists.

In summary, our motivation is to support artists and provide tools to help members be more successful with their businesses. We want to create a system that truly serves and adapts to the needs of the artisan community. We also think that a marketplace should respect their members and take a servitude role, instead of arbitrarily shutting down and destroying the trust and investment of hard working business owners.

2. What distinguishes Artfire from the other selling venues that are out there?

Free, no fees; a culture of customer service which puts our company leaders on the front line; community directed development which puts our members in control of new features; total commitment to artisan success, no matter the venue; full social media integration and education; and we focus on advancing environmental sustainability through planting trees for every member that joins. We adapt quickly and engage the needs of the community, put the community and members first, and we stay very focused on proactive engagement of members. We also put our faults out there, don’t hide our mistakes, don’t censor, boot, or ban our members, and treat people the way we want to be treated.

3. I've heard that you have a lot of money set aside and/or invested in marketing, can you tell us a little bit about the marketing strategy for Artfire?

Without giving away the entire marketing strategy, we use a combination of viral media, traditional media, and constant reinvestment in marketing to help transform the handmade niche from a popular trend to a macro movement. We purchase displays in several national publications and have locked up the back cover of CRAFT magazine for the next several years. We have placed ads on radio stations with a concentration on grass roots and public radio, and we invest heavily in web advertising, including social media and viral campaigns. We are very aggressive with our marketing program, for example in December our combined advertising reach was over 20 million views, which is the only portion that we can accurately quantify. Our viral programs appear to have generated an additional 2.5-3 times this number.

4. What is your vision for where Artfire is going?

ArtFire will serve the needs of the community, empower and educate artists to become more successful, encourage and support positive environmental impact and green commerce. We intend to introduce a whole new generation to a culture of creativity and become the home for handmade.

5. Artfire is obviously growing in leaps and bounds, what are your plans for keeping up with that expansion?

We are focused on keeping it personal and staying connected with the needs of the community. This is one of more frequent questions that members keep in the back of their minds and the answer is simple; a culture of service is a choice that company leaders make. We don’t believe that scale is an excuse for poor customer service, and I point out a company and a leader that I admire and emulate constantly, Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com. Zappos is a billion dollar company with a larger customer base than ETSY, Dwanda, Thousand Markets, and most internet companies for that matter. Tony is on the front lines of customer service, expects and fosters the highest level of service from his staff, and can even be contacted directly on Twitter! When was the last time that you could contact the CEO of a company with thousands of employees, yet alone a company with just 80 employees?

To sustain our current level of service we have a plan that constantly sets a baseline for evaluation, and an inelegant enhanced engagement system, manned by competent and empowered staff members, that will support our U.S. and international members about 20 hours out of every day. Most importantly, at ArtFire, our members are the mission, we win when the community wins. This outlook keeps us innovating and challenges us to constantly adapt and grow.

6. Let's say I'm a new seller on Artfire, what would be the most important things for me to know or to do?

Get involved in the community. There are thousands of members ready to mentor and assist. Ask questions and learn how to increase your social footprint, market yourself and build personal brand with ArtFire provided tools like “Shop Window”, “Market Hub”, and a personal blog. Most importantly, keep a positive attitude and help your buyers and other sellers whenever you possibly can. Remember the values that make you and your items unique, and let your actions reflect the same love and care that your handmade items were created with.

Thank you John!

Selling Venues - Crobbies

You may remember me mentioning that Theresa and I's blogging series inspired a special at Crobbies.com? Well, I decided that meant they should be my next write up! I know, I know, it's taken me awhile to get to it. Life's been busy and interesting lately :P



This is a pretty sweet deal for someone who wants to try out their site! Listing and selling fees are always one of the frustrating facts of life that we have to deal with, and so it's nice when they go away, even temporarily! What are Crobbies normal fees you ask? Good question! To quote Theresa's blog:

“handmade crafts and hobbies”
Free to sell, unlimited listings…they note that fees may change from time to time
3% fee with sale
6 month listings



The front page at Crobbies greats you with a pretty normal range of options. You see some featured items, newest listings, and the current Featured Seller. If your looking to buy, you can either search by category, tag, material, color, or price (with options for minimum and maximum). I got to this item by clicking on "Art/Painting," and then narrowing the search by the category animals.



Are you interested in selling with Crobbies? The sign-up process takes very little time, all they ask for is an e-mail address, username, and password! From there they give you a list of options, and all the require for you to be able to start selling is to enter a credit card or paypal account!

I did sign up for an account, not because I've decided to sell on there, but to be able to give you the most information. However, the site won't recognize my paypal e-mail address for some reason, and I don't really want to give them my credit card information without having made that decision. So, sorry, but I can't give you any more of an idea of what the listing process is like!

One thing I found very interesting about the community is that they have section where you can contribute articles, and a section where you can post blog posts. I find this an interesting addition to the forums we see on many sites, and if I were to start activily using the site I know I would love being able to further my exposure as a seller through these means!

One advantage and draw back combined with this site is that it's still small. That can be good when you consider that your items won't be burried by a thousand others, but it also means the site itself won't have as wide of an exposure base.

I hope this information has helped! Keep your eyes on my blog and Theresa's for more information about selling venues :)

Change is in the Air!

Have you heard all the excitement about the new selling venue that's opening - the Artisan Shoppe? I know many of my readers have because they also follow Block Head Radio, and it's by the same awesome people! Well, the sad news is that the Artisan Shoppe is going to be down for the rest of the week. BUT, the good news is that when it comes back up it's going to be chock full of new features, a new look, and in general it will just be a better all around! I know it's frustrating to have the site down, but trust me, after a long talk with the "man behind the scenes" it's going to be more than worth it, and wouldn't you rather have it go down at the beginning and be done RIGHT instead of him trying to slowly fix things after its going full swing? Don't worry, as soon as it's back up I'll tell you more about it!

The other change that's in the air right now is with Block Head Radio. BIG and FUN changes. Are you ready for it...drum roll please.... Block Head Radio is going to be going 24/7!!! It's also moving from being hosted by BTR to being our entity. I'm really excited! This is going to give us a lot more control and solve some of the problems that have been cropping up with BTR.

Don't worry - you'll still be able to find us at www.blockheadradiolive.com! However, if you have one the players on your blog, you'll want to take it down. We'll have a new one for you soon! The new format should be up in about a week :)

Please help me spread the word about the changes in the Artisan Shoppe and Block Head Radio - it's going to be great when it's all together!

Dissed!!

Unbelievably, the Bead and Button Show has decided to omit any mention of ceramic, porcelain, raku, and fired clay in general from their Bead Dreams competition this year. What makes this even more inexplicable is that they did not include ceramic bead artists last year but in response to numerous letters of protest they actually revised the criteria to include us. A ceramic bead artist even took 3rd place last year in the handmade bead and button category. In a previous year, a ceramic artist even took 1st place!

So, even though ceramic bead artists are good enough to have tables as vendors at the show, be featured in projects and articles in Bead and Button/BeadStyle magazines, and are frequent advertisers in both magazines, it appears that we are not up to the standards of B & B to warrant a chance to compete? I'm actually pretty disgusted about the whole thing- to overturn the exclusion last year then to have to go through the whole thing again this year seems like a deliberate snub. So, polymer, PMC, seed beads, lampwork and crystals are really sooo much more artistic than fired clay can be? Really? REALLY? Seriously?

Not just the exclusion of fired clay... what about fiber and fabric beads? Metal beads? Paper beads? I understand the need for categories but how about broadening them? Right now the only way any of these media will get recognition is in the finished jewelry category.

Please take a minute to leave a comment in their forum on the Bead Dreams Concern topic to show your support for ceramic artists to be included. Even better, send an email to the show organizers at: beaddreams@beadandbutton.com

I'm actually so annoyed about this that I cancelled my magazine subscription to Bead and Button. There are other publications out there that are actively looking to expand their coverage of fired clay beads, I'll show my support by choosing those magazines instead.

Ok, enough of the soapbox for now- please make your comments known so that B & B will legitimatize fired clay beads and we can make sure that this doesn't happen again next year!

Friday's Featured Artist - Huckleberry Arts!

Bernie and Mac Ghost Art Dolls

Last nights show with Huckleberry Arts was a total blast! If you only ever listen to one of my shows (although I'd hope you listen to a lot more!) THIS is the one to listen too! Why you may ask? Well, Huck is just a great lady, and she knows her stuff! We not only learned a lot about her as an artist, she gave us some fantastic tips for running our own businesses!

Lil bit of Love Oober Doll

Huck and her husband Rod are both very family orientated artists - and they have 6 kids! One of the precious moments in last nights show was when Huck told us a little bit about each of their kids. I always love listening to a Mom brag about her kids!

One of Huck's latest designs - the Oober doll as shown above - is actually done in collaboration with her 4 year old daughter! Ella did the original drawings and named the dolls. Isn't that just too precious?

Jazzy Cat Original ACEO

Want to find Huck on-line?

Visit her etsy shop!

Find her on Spooky Time Jingles!

Read her Blog!

And see her work featured in the Artisan Shoppe!

Treasury Loving :)

There's several things that just automatically make your morning - one of them is finding out that you've been featured in a treasury! It's been awhile since I found myself in one (and I honestly forget to look), but today I received notification that I was in TWO :)

The first one is called Green Dream and is curated by Peacox Creations - a fellow Etsy Blogger :)

The second one is called Pink Lemonade and I got into this by voting in the CCCOE challenge :)

Remiss...

Yes, I know I haven't blogged in a day or two, but I was having some issues with the program I usually use to edit my blogs. I think I may have to contact customer support or whatever... *sigh* I also haven't been feeling good so doing research just has NOT sounded appealing! So what have I been up to instead? Well, I did set up to sell on consignment :D It will be a week or two before my stuffs in the store - but I'm really excited!

I've also been weaving away like a bead weaving FOOL! I finished the next necklace in my Elements series :) I need to figure out some earrings for it still though, so it'll be a few days before I photo it and put it up. I've also started working on a custom order Heroes bracelet that I'm really excited about.

I should be back to my normal blogging tomorrow - we had an awesome show tonight and I'm looking forward to sharing about it tomorrow!

Introducing KSTreasures - and LOTS of other Exciting News!

Whew - there's so much exciting news to share with all of you today that I hardly know where to begin! Ok, I do actually have a good idea, I want to tell you about my new shop :D That's right, you heard me, I have a second shop on etsy!

This shop is the brain child of me and my Mom. I'm so excited about it! My Mom is the one who started me off doing crafts, and she is incredibly talented herself! I'm so excited to get to showcase her work, and hopefully earn her some money here and there of course :P

Ok, so the details, our shop address on etsy is kstreasures, and that's short for Kindred Spirit Treasures! My Mom and I have both always loved the Anne of Green Gables books, and we've always been close friends, so the Kindred Spirit part was perfect. "Treasures" is because we are going to be featuring a variety of pieces from both my Mom and I!

Oh - and I can't forget - the beautiful artwork for my avatar and the banner were done by my dear friend Annette of Huckleberry Arts. I get to interview her in this weeks Thursday Spotlight On Show! Come meet her Thursday night at 9pm EST. :)

Here's some lovely items from our new shop - we'll have a lot more going up in the next few weeks!



On to MORE exciting news!

I've had my first sale of the year! Woohoo! It's not a big sale - but it gets me started on my sales goal for the month :D This is what I sold:

AND I've been selected as this months featured Etsy Blogger! Woohoo! As you probably all know I'm part of the Etsy Bloggers Team, a fantastic team of artisans who all love to blog :) Well, each month our elustrious leader picks a different team member that's our featured blogger. You'll see them featured on team members blogs all over the place. Isn't that the coolest? It's made my month :D Totally made my month! Thanks guys :D

As if THAT wasn't enough loving - I was again awarded a blog award! Woohoo! Here's the short discription that goes with it:

The authors say that blogs who
receive this award are exceedingly charming. This blog invests in the
PROXIMITY in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to
find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or
self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that even more friendships are
propagated.

*(note to authors, original text shortened and edited by previous blog owner for clarity)

I was given this lovely award by the Lovely Purses blog. Make sure you check out her shop on Dawanda - and here's just one of the lovely items you'll see featured there!

Peace Bag

I'm loved! :)

I'm honored to report that I've been given the "Spreader of Love" award by TWO of my fabulous friends! That's right, TiLT Creations and Storybeader both gave me this award earlier in the week :) Now I'm a spoil sport and I don't pass on awards - but I do want to give recognition and love to my dear friends who gave me the award!

Theresa of TiLT Creations is someone you've heard me mention frequently recently because she's my partner in crime...I mean blog research :P The two of us have been working together to research the different selling venues that are out there. Did you know that she creates incredible bags? She does! Here's just one example of her wonderful handiwork, check out her shop for more!

Deborah of StoryBeader is a jewelry artist and friend that I admire. Each of her beautiful pieces is accompanied by its own haiku. Make sure you check out her shop!

The messenger flew
Between the canyon walls with
Oil in her plum drum.
- storybeader

Inspiring!

Wow. I was contacted the other day by one of the guys from Bonanzle, thanking me for my posts and offering help if I needed any questions answered, and today Theresa (my research partner) was contacted by Crobbies. AND she apparently inspired them to do a special :) Go check it out :)

Selling Venues - Bonanzle - Part 2!

I probably won't do two part posts for most of the selling sites I review, but I did feel that it was necessary to give you some more information about the site its self, and I didn't want that first post to drag on forever! So...here you go...part 2 :)

The above picture is what greeted me when I logged in today. Yes, I have signed up for Bonanzle, but at this point just so I could explore! That's one of the nice things about Bonanzle - you don't have to submit a credit card or any other super-personal information to sign up and browse. The process of signing up only takes about two minutes.

The pictures you see on the front are constantly changing - something I love! The border colors also tell you if the seller is currently on-line, near where your located (you do have to give a zip code), newly listed, or in a bonanza today! Bonanza's are site advertised sales, and each seller can sign up for one a month!

Interested in buying? Clicking on the "Buy" button takes you into a variety of ways to search for what you want to buy. At the very top you'll see current and upcoming bonanzas (sales!), and scrolling down you'll find links for local items, recently listed, bonanza items, favorite items, and freebies. Those last two caught my eye since they aren't really things I've seen on other sites so far. Keep in mind that I am beginning my research though...

Anyway, Favorite items gives you a chance to see what items others have marked as their favorites. I like that concept :) Freebies is exactly what it sounds like - free stuff! Sometimes it might be a picture that they will freely let you download, or a recipe, or instructions for a project, you never know! It's a fun area to browse :)

Diving into the world of selling - each seller gets to set up a booth (the equivalent of a shop on other sites). Below is a snap shot of a booth that I picked just because I really liked his art work! Click on the picture to check out his booth!

There's a lot of information you can input right one the front page, including your location, upcoming bonanza's, pickup if you offer it, discounts for multiple purchases and categories you offer. Also, if your currently on-line they have a real chat option! I don't see myself using this constantly if I decided to sell here, but I can see how it could be really useful in specific situations, like discussing a custom order for instance.

Now for some of the basics about costs and whatnot. Big thanks to Theresa - my research partner - for compiling this info!

~ Free to post items
~ Fees
based on Final Offer Value (FOV): less than $10, $0.50; less than $50,
$1; less than $100, $3; less than $1000, $5; $1000 or more, $10
~ Payment options: Google checkout, Paypal & money orders
~ Import directly from eBay (a major plus if you've been selling there).

I hope this information helps you! As for me, I find Bonanzle very interesting, and it's currently on my list of "I might try's," but no decisions have been made yet along those lines, lots more research to do first!

Friday's Feature - Robyn's Art!

Last night we had a great show and interview with Robyn of Robyn's Art! If you'd like to hear the show go here. Click on any of the pictures you see in this post to go to their etsy listing. Here's a little bit of what we learned about Robyn last night :)

Robyn is an artist with many talents. She loves photography and said that she always takes her camera with her! Recently she's taken up hiking as both a fun exercise, and a way to find even more incredible photo opportunities.

One thing that was a lot of fun for me in interviewing Robyn is the fact that we're from the same area! So many of her photos are of my favorite places - like the above photo of Multnomah Falls.

Do you ever go searching for the perfect journal - but get frustrated with the over-priced and impersonal selections that can be found in the local stores? Well, Robyn also sells journals! Not only can you find some fantastic one's in her shop now - she told us of her plans to continue to expand and improve her line of journals :)

Want to get to know Robyn better? Here's where you can find her!

Robyn's Shop

Robyn's Blog

Follow Robyn on Twitter!

Robyn is also a part of the Pluggers United Team and the Bookbinders of Etsy Street Team.